The Key to Livability May Be Education

Pittsburgh and other college towns top Forbes Magazine's annual Most Livable Cities list of 2010.

1 minute read

May 4, 2010, 1:00 PM PDT

By Akshali Gandhi


A manufacturing past may not be a hindrance to livability, if Forbes' Most Livable Cities list can be believed.

Pittsburgh, Omaha, Lincoln, Provo, and Ann Arbor were among the top cities chosen for their livability, as indicated by rising income levels, declining crime rates, and low unemployment. A common trend in several of the cities chosen included the presence of higher education.

"Universities are large employers in their cities," says Alexander Von Hoffman, senior fellow at the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University. "In the long term, not only do you have that employment, but you have an educated population, and you have a large youthful population which tends to be a consuming population."

Thursday, April 29, 2010 in Forbes.com

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